A pioneer in the beauty industry – her perfectly imperfect looks have been featured in pretty much every print heavyweight going while elsewhere she’s dabbled for 3ina – Costa has been receiving attention from industry mavens and inspired millennials alike for several years now, her Insta following attracting over 30k.

Below Costa indulges us with tales of her childhood makeup influences from her native Portugal, the differences between doing makeup for celebrities and for models, and her current obsession with acid green (Shrek as a beauty icon for 2K17 anyone?).

When did you first begin experimenting with makeup – was it a childhood obsession or a passion that developed later in your life?

I grew up in a pharmacy – my mum is a pharmacist. In pharmacies, especially in Portugal, we always have a lot of beauty products such as creams, skin care, and obviously a lot of makeup. I never thought I could be in contact with makeup outside of the pharmacy, because I was living in Portugal in the middle of the countryside, so the fashion and beauty industry was an untouchable world to me. In contrast to my rural upbringing, I lived near Spain, and Spanish women wear a lot of makeup, so I had a lot of beauty influences from there. That made for an interesting childhood, because I always had a passion for makeup, but again, I never thought I’d be able to be in touch with the fashion world, because it is a very exclusive industry.

Your unique makeup looks frequently favour pastel hues, metallic shimmers, and glossy lids and lips, making you a favourite among aesthetic-obsessed millennial fashion and beauty lovers across the world, ourselves included. How, if at all, do current fashion trends affect the way you create?

Fashion trends don’t affect me at all! I create looks because I want to create them. Makeup is about being a woman; it’s about how I want to express myself as an individual. The makeup looks that I do are for individual expression, not to follow any trend. I don’t like to follow trends – I like to make trends, if that makes sense? If I want to go out in a thick eyeliner or a bare face, I’ll do it. Makeup is here for people to express ourselves, and obviously to make us look pretty, but I feel that makeup for me is more about expressing myself as a human being; the makeup I wear is an extension of me and my personality.

You’re incredibly successful, both in terms of the titles you’ve worked for and through the personal work you feature on social media, where you’ve clocked a hugely impressive following. What would you say is the key difference between makeup looks you create for work versus the looks you feature on Instagram?

My instagram feed features all of my makeup looks! Paid work, creative work, and editorial work. I don’t create any image on Instagram just for the purpose of social media; all of my featured makeup looks are from paid jobs or editorial work.

Amazing. So moving on and talking celebrity, you recently worked with Game of Thrones star and former Wonderbabe Maisie Williams. How, if at all, does your work change when met with a well known face?

Everyone is equal to me! I work with everyone who comes into my hands in the same way. Regardless of whether it’s a job or a more fashion-influenced creative piece, there’s always brainstorming between teams where my thoughts and ideas are considered, and that’s why my makeup has a particular look that is consistently expressed through my work. Because I work with everyone in the same way, it doesn’t make a difference to me if I’m working with a model or a celebrity. Obviously there’s a different technique if I’m doing makeup for editorial work or if I’m doing makeup for the red carpet, adding different amounts of powder and things like that. But usually I create the same style of makeup for everything.
Finally, on your Instagram feed, you seem to gravitate towards red, pink, light blue, and purple hues. As of right now, what is your favourite colour to base a makeup look around?

That’s a really hard question! I’m really loving lilac and orange at the moment, for summertime. And also acid green. I love so many colours, it’s so hard to figure out which one is my favourite!